Guatemala 5 Volcano Challenge

I'm really not sure my words can do this trip justice, but here goes. . .

If you are considering booking, DO IT NOW. Guatemala is an incredible country, the locations, the people, the views and the volcanoes are incredible. The guide team (Jerry, Giannina & Rudy) could not have done a better job of looking after us & the driver (José) got us everywhere safe and sound.

Don't get me wrong, it's a challenge, every muscle will be tested and you will feel like you can't go on at times, but there will always be a helpful guide or a teammate to spur you on.

Thank you to everyone that made this trip so special. BOOK IT NOW

The scenery was spectacular and our local guides Joel, Willy, and Uriel made the trip as easy as just climbing 5 volcanoes. The group was great as well. Easily one of the best trips I have ever taken! Drink the chicken beer (Gallo).

Wonderful trip full of beautiful views! Our guide Joel was excellent and we had a great group too. One of the best trips I’ve ever done!

Hiking 5 volcanoes in Guatemala was an incredible experience! Had an excellent time and made incredible memories! Highly recommend! Guatemala is a beautiful country and this is a wonderful way to see it!

Our local guides Joel, Willy, and Uriel took us on a phenomenal trip of a lifetime. Joel, our lead guide, made sure to emphasize aspects of Mayan culture (many of the peaks have great significance) which added a deeply meaningful element to the climbs. Totally recommend. Make sure to drink all the chicken beer as well!

This is an excellent tour for those that want a good challenge and love hiking. The walks were challenging but very doable with a good level of fitness and well spaced out to ensure you get some acclimatization and easier walks in between. There was sufficient downtime between the walks: in the hotels, on the bus and other activities such as the thermal pool, canoeing or visiting surrounding towns and villages.     David, the main guide, was excellent. He remained upbeat, ensured to manage our expectations and pushed us towards the summits when other groups gave up, and walked with enough breaks so that the group could stay together even with different walking speeds (especially important at higher altitude). Our driver, Edgar, was also superb. He always drove with great care and slow enough so that noone got ill, or felt insecure even with the challenging roads and other drivers. Our cook, Rudy, made the best dinners and lunches even with minimal resources and Angel was our second guide diligently making sure that no one got left behind and giving us some good laughs. All in all, very much recommended!!

Hardened molten lava, smoking volcanoes, volcanic lakes, sun and smiling Guatemalans. What’s not to like?

Guatemala is a very unique place made even better by its beautiful local people.

The trek itself is really enjoyable with some stunning views at the top of these fantastic volcanoes.

Make sure to book when you have the highest chance of good weather.

Incredible country, amazing scenery! But. I would like to mention what was not mentioned in the other reviews. The safety protocols need to be increased. 1) Our bus was lacking good brakes. 99% of the time the driver had to use engine rather than brakes to reduce speed. When asked why - he simply replied that "brakes we have are not sufficient for the weight of the bus". Sounds very risky to me. Also because of that time spent on the road was always a few hours (!) longer than promised 2) During the ascent to 4200m volcano only big luck and dedication of the group helped us to come back in one piece. The group was told we will be split in 2 teams, but no one told us who is in which team. Then the person who was put to lead the group turned out to be a local porter with zero knowledge of English and zero special training. The group stretched and a few members got lost in the fog near the edge on way to the top - it was very scary. One person had a altitude sickness - and she was mostly helped by fellow travellers, not by the staff. Besides that - fantastic trip, Rudi and Didi did fantastic job!

I had the most incredible time on this trip- the landscapes are so varied, the views are amazing, the trails are fun, and the itinerary allowed for a great mix of activity and free time. Highlights included reaching the summit of Tajumulco for sunrise above the clouds, racing each other down the volcanoes, and having the hot springs at Fuentes Georginas practically to ourselves. Best of all was getting to hang out with a group of like-minded people from all over the world – it is quite intense being thrown together with a bunch of strangers for a week of strenuous hiking, but by the end of the first bus journey it felt like we’d known each other for ages, and so even some unfortunate (and unseasonal) weather couldn’t dampen our spirits. I don’t think I stopped smiling for the whole 10 days! I have to give a special mention to our local guides from Old Town Outfitters as well: David (led us with boundless energy and took issues like bus breakdowns and altitude sickness in his stride), Pablo (took care of our kit and made sure nobody got left behind), Gilberto (prepared the BEST food even half way up a volcano in the rain) and Edgar (bus driver extraordinaire). Their enthusiasm was infectious and made the whole thing so much more fun! It’s the guides that can make a great trip into an amazing one, and we were lucky to have some of the best.

What an adventure. The scenery was epic and the people even better. The high energy from our Guides was amazing & fellow trekkers were a fabulous group of humans. So many caring & funny people. Memories that will last forever.

The hiking was a good challenge with steep ascents and descents. I never use poles but did for the downhills which are slippery. The group was great, the accommodation and food was better than I’ve had on other group trips, and the positivity and enthusiasm of our three guides was infectious. Even if the cloud doesn’t clear, there is a real sense of achievement ant each peak, and when the cloud cleared the views were breathtaking. A brilliant trip.

I’ve waited over a week since returning from Guatemala to write this review as I had to let it all sink in. I had an amazing time with MBAs and their local team. The guides, chef and driver were amazing and made the trip so special and as easy as hiking 5 volcanoes can be! This trip is #1 in my travels for scenery - and I have travelled to many places. The effort required on this trip is significant but the views and sense of achievement make it worthwhile. I have returned home a very satisfied and happy person as a result of this trip, just loved it 🙏❤️

This isn’t easy but well worth the effort as it provides a fabulous cultural and scenic experience in a wonderful country full of lovely people. The guides, accommodation, facilities and food all fantastic.

To start off, the tour was amazing highly recommended! Pepe, David, and Edgar were fantastic and had great energy the entire trip. The group got along well too. Pepe put up with my shenanigans and answered any questions or concerns we had. One of the best adventures of my life! The volcanoes, trekking, and Guatemala in general was spectacular, don’t hesitate just book it! Thank you Pepe, David, and Edgar!! 🔥 🙌

One recommendation would be more time at Lake Atitlan, it was very beautiful and relaxing there.

This trip was everything and more. The guides Pepian, Davide and Wily were super knowledgable, friendly, funny and hospitable and our driver was an absolute wizard. This trip was spectacular. The views were amazing, the people in the group were all great value and the experience was phenomenal. I am running out of superlatives to describe this trip however one of the best would be = Absolutely Epic!! Would definitely recommend to everyone.

The 5 volcano challenge is certainly a "challenge", but this made the views even more rewarding. Pepian and the team are absolutely fantastic, they made this trip one of the best holidays I've ever been on.

The 5 Volcanoes Challenge was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken!

The itinerary was fantastic. Although we were hiking consecutively for 7 days, there was an excellent mix of activities throughout the trip. Each volcano brought unique challenges, amazing views, and different experiences.

Guatemala is an incredible country to visit, and this trip allowed us to explore many locations across it.

Everything about the trip was exceptionally well-organised, from transportation and accommodation to the food provided.

A huge shoutout to our amazing guides: Jerry (David), who was so kind, knowledgeable, and truly made the trip special; Diana, whose food was not only delicious but perfectly planned; and Pablo, who organised our accommodation and equipment.

This was an unforgettable adventure, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a challenging yet rewarding experience!

The treks were incredible and the guides - Diego, Christa, Gilberto & Marcelo - were amazing. No need to overthink it. . . buy the ticket, take the ride.

I was recommended this trip by others I had known who had already done it, and it didn't disappoint! As ever, it was professionally organised and a fantastic experience. The 5 volcanoes are all different in their feel and experience of hiking up.

The group was great and we had a fantastic 10 days together! I would recommend to anyone interested in a good challenge in a fantastic country!

Our guides were incredible, supportive and knowledgeable and supported us all during the treks and the week overall. The food was delicious and varied.

This is up there as one of my favourite holidays ever!!

Watching volcanic eruptions is an unforgettable experience! Highly recommend this fun and active trip through a beautiful country.

A big shout out to our cook Gilberto for making delicious vegetarian meals! He made amazing vegetarian chiles rellenos, pepián, and Christmas tamales so that we could enjoy traditional Guatemalan meals too.

I loved this adventure! I'm fairly active and this was a challenge, but so fun. I liked the pace of the whole experience, it was fairly aggressive but with adequate time to rest. Having multiple night hotel stays in between camping was helpful in feeling a little settled, getting laundry done, etc. Our guides were incredible. So friendly and enthusiastic. The food was delicious and thoughtfully prepared. Each hike was unique and absolutely worth the effort, even if the weather didn't always cooperate!

This trip was absolutely epic. The itinerary was fantastic. A good mix of challenge and down time. Bus time is what you make of it. The guides of David, Oriel and Rudy made this trip exceptional. They worked fantastically as a team and complemented each other immensely, finding the perfect balance between professional and fun. They will write legends about the driving of Edgar, simply sensational.

Wow, honestly one of the best things I've done in my life. The trip itself was incredible, really stays true to the itinerary. The hikes are not that tough, the only thing that makes some of it difficult can be the weather but no one can control that.

Guides I had were unbelievable and provided more than enough resource and information for everyone, plus kept everyone happy and safe and did so with a very positive attitude. They made the whole trip so fun.

I was also lucky to have an incredible group of people to share the experience with which of course helps enhance the great memories.

Would highly recommend this trip to anyone who is a big fan of long hikes & nature, with enough time to relax as well.

I can’t suggest this adventure enough. It is one of the best challenges I have completed so far. Amazing group! Amazing guides! Super amazing arrangements! Loved every bit of the 10 days spent in this trip. No hiccups, no second thoughts ever while on the trip. Highly recommend this!!

Well organised trip. Guatemala is beautiful and the volcanoes were stunning though challenging hikes. The local team were excellent, the guides Luis and David ensured we had a safe and fun trip, Willie made great meals even in camp and our driver had amazing skills on the challenging roads. I would fully recommend this trip.

Great trip overall

A great way to see some of the sights of Guatemala

Challenging but well paced hikes up 5 volcanoes. Felt like a real achievement to have summited all 5. Definitely needed lots of warm clothing for the two overnight climbs. Tents on Acatenango were very comfortable, Tajumulco less so but the hotels were all very nice, comfortable, good settings and breakfasts. There is a lot of time on buses but this was unavoidable as the volcanoes weren't all close together and Guatemalan roads are both busy and winding. There was at least plenty of room on the bus and four hours, with breaks, was probably the longest journey. Our guides were excellent and made the trip fun and well paced so everyone was able to finish each volcano. Not easy but if you're moderately fit and up for a challenge then definitely worth doing.

Our guides David, Rudy, Edgar, and Uriel were brilliant. Super fun and they always took good care of us.

Our co-adventurers were all brilliant people. We had such a motivation and encouraging group dynamic.

The physical challenge was hard but all the more satisfying because of it. We pushed ourselves to get up all five volcanoes and were bone tired at the end of the trip.

All the accommodation was great and Rudy’s cooking was superb.

We had the trip of a lifetime. Couldn’t recommend this enough!

Had a great time in Guatemala with Old Town Outfitters/MBA. It was a busy trip with lots of travel and volcanoes but was absolutely worth it, and it really takes you off the beaten track in Guatemala. The guides looked after us really well and were very reactive to changes to the plan/personal requirements. As always with MBA trips the group was excellent and was full of likeminded people up for a challenge!